Volkswagen Passat Photo Gallery

Already dated, or timeless?

As plain as the exterior.

Elegant from this angle in dark colors with the SEL's 18-inch alloy wheels.

Torque makes the TDI well-suited to American driving styles.

Plenty of legroom, but note the lack of a rear air vent.

Plenty of room for your stuff as well.

One of the interior's dime store bits.

Quite plain.

Sport adds black roof and mirrors (with white and silver cars), fog lights.

This angle shows off the Passat's strong shoulder and, in sport trim, big wheels and black roof.

The Sport's wheels are larger, but their multi-spoke design is more elegant than sporty.

The Mazda's exterior appears sexier, especially from the front quarter.

The Passat's side profile could hardly be more conventional.

The Passat appears most elegant from the rear quarter.

Shift paddles and metal pedals have little impact on the otherwise spartan interior.

The Mazda's interior looks and feels sportier. Better materials than both elsewhere in the segment.

Boring but functional instrument panel enhances perceived roominess.

Everything is easy to reach. But the steering wheel is off-center.

Sport bucket seat is comfortable and supportive, if not luxurious. Rubbery vinyl.

The Passat's best feature.

Large trunk.

Good performance, but short of thrilling. The manual's five tall, widely spaced ratios don't help.

New 1.8T engine is more efficient than the 2.5-liter five-cylinder it replaced.